Cigarette butt extinguishing and disposing apparatus

ABSTRACT

A cigarette butt extinguishing and disposing apparatus including a cutting arrangement for receiving a cigarette butt from a slot to cut the cigarette butt into cut pieces while extinguishing fire and a container configured to collect the cut pieces. The cutting arrangement includes a pair of cutting rollers having peripheral faces engaging with each other, the peripheral faces each having a plurality of cutting edges. The cigarette butt extinguishing and disposing apparatus further includes a pressing arrangement for receiving and pressing the cut pieces. As a result, a cigarette is reliably extinguished.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a cigarette butt extinguishing anddisposing apparatus.

BACKGROUND ART

There is a cigarette butt extinguishing and disposing apparatus adoptinga technology of fire extinction without using water. The apparatus isused as an ashtray for collecting cigarette ashes and butts as disclosedin Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-283898 (see Paragraphs[0007] and [0008], and FIGS. 6 and 8), Japanese Patent ApplicationLaid-Open No. 2009-119090 (see paragraphs [0007] and [0008], and FIGS. 6and 8), and the like.

The cigarette butt extinguishing and disposing apparatus includes acylindrical container configured to receive cigarette butts coming froman upper side, shelf members of a plurality of stages configured toreceive in stages the cigarette butts received into the cylindricalcontainer, and extrusion means movably provided on each of the shelfmembers of the plurality of stages to extrude the cigarette buttspresent in each of the shelf members to the shelf members of lowerstages.

In such a cigarette butt extinguishing and disposing apparatus, acigarette butt received into the cylindrical container lands on one ofthe shelf members. The cigarette butt is then extruded from the shelfmember and lands on the shelf member of a lower stage. By repeating thisprocessing in each stage, the cigarette butt comes into friction-contactwith the shelf members, and fire is thereby separated. As a result, thecigarette butt is extinguished.

Thus, according to the aforementioned cigarette butt extinguishing anddisposing apparatus, the cigarette butts accumulate in a dry conditionsince water is not used. This makes it possible to discard the cigarettebutts as general refuse, so that easy and sanitary disposal of thecigarette butts is conducted. The apparatus not only reduces the load ofcigarette butt disposal operation but also discharges no waste watercontaining nicotine, which makes the apparatus user-friendly andenvironment-friendly. Under these circumstances, the apparatus is beingintroduced to the places where people gather, such as public facilitiesand commercial facilities.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem

Cigarettes generally have a thickness of about 8 mm, but some super thin(super slim) cigarettes have a thickness of about 5.5 mm, indicatingthat the cigarettes do not have a fixed thickness. However, theaforementioned cigarette butt extinguishing and disposing apparatus doesnot take into consideration the cigarettes of various thickness.Accordingly, while the apparatus may be able to extinguish the butts ofthe cigarettes having general thickness, it may fail to extinguish thebutts of super-thin cigarettes.

Since demands for the super-thin cigarettes are increasing mainly fromfemale smokers, there is an increasing possibility that the collectedcigarette butts include inextinguishable butts. According to anexperiment conducted by the inventor of the present invention, one outof 3,000 cigarette butts was inextinguishable.

Even in the case of the butts of the cigarettes having generalthickness, it is hard to separate fire if the cigarettes are smoked upto the vicinity of the filter, i.e., if the cigarettes are thoroughlysmoked, and this may cause failure of extinction.

The present invention has been made in view of the aforementionedproblem, and it is therefore an object of the present invention toprovide a cigarette butt extinguishing and disposing apparatus which canachieve reliable extinction.

Solution to Problem

(1) The present invention is a cigarette butt extinguishing anddisposing apparatus, including: cutting means for receiving a cigarettebutt from a slot and cutting the cigarette butt into cut pieces; and acontainer for collecting the cut pieces.

According to the present invention, when a cigarette butt is cut, fireis separated, so that reliable extinction can be achieved. If fireshould not be separated from some of the cut pieces, only the burningcut pieces are burned since the cigarette butt is cut into cut pieces,and therefore the spread of the fire can be prevented. As a result,reliable extinction can be achieved. Within the limits of the capacityof the cutting means, a large amount of cigarette butts can beextinguished at a stroke.

(2) The present invention is the cigarette butt extinguishing anddisposing apparatus according to the above-described (1), wherein thecutting means is a pair of cutting rollers having peripheral facesengaging with each other, the peripheral faces each having a pluralityof cutting edges.

According to the above-described invention, the cigarette butt canreliably be cut with a simple structure.

(3) The present invention is the cigarette butt extinguishing anddisposing apparatus according to the above-described (2), wherein theslot has an inclined surface for causing the cigarette butt to roll downtoward the pair of cutting rollers.

According to the above-described invention, the cigarette butt can befed to the cutting rollers while being laid sideways (see FIG. 4(A)).This makes it possible to cut the cigarette butt while the cigarettebutt is parallel to the cutting rollers (see FIG. 4(B)). As a result,fire can reliably be separated, and the cigarette butt can reliably beextinguished.

(4) The present invention is also the cigarette butt extinguishing anddisposing apparatus according to the above-described (3), wherein theinclined surface is provided so as to cover an engagement portion formedby engagement between the pair of cutting rollers.

According to the above-described invention, it becomes possible toprevent the cigarette butt from directly been fed to the engagementportion. This increases the possibility that the cigarette butt is fedto the cutting rollers while being laid sideways.

(5) The present invention is also the cigarette butt extinguishing anddisposing apparatus according to any one of the above-described (1) to(4), including pressing means for receiving and pressing the cut pieces.

According to the above-described invention, the cut pieces of thecigarette are further pressed, so that more reliable extinction can beachieved.

(6) In the cigarette butt extinguishing and disposing apparatusaccording to the above-described (5), the pressing means presses the cutpieces to shield the cut pieces from air.

According to the above-described invention, fire is shielded from airwhen the cut pieces are pressed, so that reliable extinction can beachieved. More specifically, even if fire should not be separated fromthe cut pieces by the cutting means, reliable extinction can still beachieved.

(7) The present invention is also the cigarette butt extinguishing anddisposing apparatus according to the above-described (5) or (6), whereinthe pressing means is a pressing roller having an elastically deformableperipheral face, the peripheral face being pressed to a counterpartmember so as to be in face contact with the counterpart member.

According to the above-described invention, the cut pieces can reliablybe pressed and extinguished with a simple structure. The cut pieces aredragged into the pair of pressing rollers and are gradually pressed fromone end side toward the other end side. Accordingly, even when the cutpieces are large, they can uniformly and reliably be pressed.

(8) The present invention is also the cigarette butt extinguishing anddisposing apparatus according to the above-described (7), wherein aportion of the peripheral face of the pressing roller in face contactwith the counterpart member has a length in a circumferential directionthat is a conveyance direction of the cut pieces, the length beinglarger than a length of the cut pieces.

According to the above-described invention, the cut pieces can beshielded from air to achieve reliable extinction.

(9) The present invention is also the cigarette butt extinguishing anddisposing apparatus according to one of the above-described (7) and (8),including a brush having bristle ends in contact with the peripheralface of the pressing roller to brush away ashes adhering to theperipheral face of the pressing roller.

According to the above-described invention, it becomes possible toprevent the ashes from sticking to the peripheral face of the pressingroller.

(10) The present invention is also the cigarette butt extinguishing anddisposing apparatus according to any one of the above-described (7) to(9), including: support means for supporting the pressing rollerslidably in a direction distancing from the counterpart member; and anelastic member configured to apply an elastic force to the pressingroller slidably supported by the support means in a directionapproaching the counterpart member.

According to the above-described invention, it becomes possible toprevent unnecessary load from being applied to the pressing rollers whenthe cut pieces of cigarette butts and foreign substances are pressed.

(11) The present invention is also the cigarette butt extinguishing anddisposing apparatus according to any one of the above-described (5) to(10), including guiding means for guiding the cut pieces from thecutting means to the pressing means.

According to the above-described invention, the cut pieces generated bythe cutting means can reliably be guided to the pressing means even whenthe cut pieces are dispersed.

(12) The present invention is also the cigarette butt extinguishing anddisposing apparatus according to the above-described (11), wherein theguiding means is a funnel configured to receive the cut pieces fallingfrom the cutting means and to cause the cut pieces to fall toward thepressing means.

According to the above-described invention, the cut pieces can reliablybe guided to the pressing means with a simple structure.

(13) The present invention is also the cigarette butt extinguishing anddisposing apparatus according to any one of the above-described (1) to(12), wherein the cutting means cuts the cigarette butt so that the cutpieces generated from cigarette paper constituting the cigarette butthave a size of 100 mm² or less.

(14) The present invention is also the cigarette butt extinguishing anddisposing apparatus according to any one of the above-described (1) to(13), wherein the cutting means cuts the cigarette butt so that the cutpieces generated from the cigarette paper constituting the cigarettebutt have a long side of 15 mm or less.

In the invention according to the above-described (13) and (14), the cutpieces are burned out in a short time if the fire should not beseparated from the cut pieces. Accordingly, it becomes possible toprevent the fire from spreading to other cut pieces.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

According to the cigarette butt extinguishing and disposing apparatusaccording to the above-described (1) to (14) of the present invention,reliable extinction can be achieved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view illustrating a table including acigarette butt extinguishing and disposing apparatus according to thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view illustrating an internalstructure of the table.

FIG. 3 is a side view of cutting rollers.

FIG. 4(A) is an enlarged view illustrating the vicinity of a slot, andFIG. 4(B) is a perspective view of the cutting rollers.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of pressing means.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, a cigarette butt extinguishing and disposing apparatusaccording to an embodiment of the present invention will be described indetail with reference to the drawings.

First, the configuration of a cigarette butt extinguishing and disposingapparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 1 isan external perspective view illustrating a table 10 including thecigarette butt extinguishing and disposing apparatus 1. FIG. 2 is alongitudinal cross-sectional view illustrating an internal structure ofthe table 10. FIG. 3 is a side view of cutting rollers. In each of thedrawings, part of the configuration is appropriately omitted to simplifythe drawings.

The cigarette butt extinguishing and disposing apparatus 1 illustratedin FIG. 1 is an apparatus built into the table 10. The apparatus isadopted in places where long tables and/or counter tables are provided,such as counter tables of coffee stands and self-service coffee shops,restaurants, and bars, and smoking corners of standing bars (wherecustomers drink while standing), rest stations, and waiting areas. Thecigarette butt extinguishing and disposing apparatus 1 collectscigarette butts XA1 fed into a plurality of ashtrays 13 to one spotwhile extinguishing the cigarette butts XA1 without using water.

Specifically, the table 10 includes, in addition to the cigarette buttextinguishing and disposing apparatus 1, a top panel 11, four legs 12provided at four corners of the top panel 11, a plurality of ashtrays 13embedded in the top panel 11, and a cigarette butt conveying machine 14fixed to the lower side of the top panel 11.

The cigarette butt extinguishing and disposing apparatus 1 and thecigarette butt conveying machine 14 are integrally controlled by acontrol unit. The control unit is constituted by a CPU, a RAM, a ROM,and the like to execute various control operations. The CPU is what iscalled a central processing unit, which executes various programs toimplement various functions. The RAM is used as a work area of the CPU.The ROM stores programs executed by the CPU.

The top panel 11 has a length, a width, and a shape (such as a squareshape, a rectangle shape, a circular shape, an elliptical shape, and ashape made from a free-form curve) which can freely be designed. In thepresent embodiment, the top panel 11 is designed into a long shape sothat many people can use the apparatus 1 in a narrow space. The toppanel 11 has through-holes (reference characters omitted) provided atdesired positions where the ashtrays 13 are embedded, to enable thecigarette butts XA1 to fall therethrough.

The lengths of the four legs 12 can freely be designed. In the presentembodiment, the four legs 12 are designed to have a height that enablesan adult (for example, a person with an extension of 170 cm) to use theapparatus 1 while standing.

As for the plurality of ashtrays 13, their positions on the top panel11, their intervals, and their number (one or more) can freely bedesigned. In the present embodiment, four ashtrays are linearly arrangedat equal intervals. The plurality of ashtrays 13 have holes (referencecharacters omitted) communicating with the holes (reference charactersomitted) of the top panel 11, respectively. Accordingly, the cigarettebutts XA1 fed into the ashtrays 13 fall into a casing 17 of thecigarette butt conveying machine 14. The plurality of ashtrays 13 eachinclude a lids (reference characters omitted) attached with a hinge. Asa consequence, the unused ashtrays 13 may be covered with the lids toprevent diffusion of odor.

In the lower part of the top panel 11, the cigarette butt conveyingmachine 14 conveys the cigarette butts XA1 from one side to the otherside (from the lower left to the upper right in FIG. 1, from the left tothe right in FIG. 2).

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the cigarette butt conveying machine 14includes a screw shaft 15 arranged in a conveying direction, an electricmotor 16 used as a power source of the screw shaft 15, and the casing 17housing these components.

The screw shaft 15 is rotated by driving the electric motor 16. Thescrew shaft 15 is rotated to convey the cigarette butts inside thecasing 17.

The electric motor 16 has a rotating shaft (illustration omitted)connected to the screw shaft 15. The electric motor 16 converts electricpower into rotation power used to rotate the screw shaft 15. While theelectric motor 16 may be put in a driving state at all times, it may beconfigured to drive in an intermittent manner. The electric motor 16 mayalso be controlled to drive at desired optimum speeds by manualoperation, by detecting the presence of the cigarette butts XA1, or byother operations.

The casing 17 is in a rectangular parallelepiped shape with an upperside (reference sign omitted) being opened. The casing 17 is fixed to alower surface of the top panel 11 so that the opening is covered. Thecasing 17 has a slot (reference sign omitted) directly below the screwshaft 15 on a downstream side in the conveying direction, the slotcommunicating with the cigarette butt extinguishing and disposingapparatus 1. Accordingly, the cigarette butts XA1 conveyed with thescrew shaft 15 are fed into the cigarette butt extinguishing anddisposing apparatus 1 through the slot 18. The slot 18 has what iscalled a hopper shape having an inclined surface 18 a. The inclinedsurface 18 a has a magnet (illustration omitted) that attracts metalforeign substances fed together with the cigarette butts XA1. Thisprevents such accidents as metal foreign substances with high rigidity,such as metal screws and clips, being erroneously fed and causingclogging inside the cigarette butt extinguishing and disposing apparatus1. The inclined surface 18 a constitutes a surface that causes thecigarette butts XA1 to roll down toward a pair of cutting rollers 30.The inclined surface 18 a is provided so as to cover an engagementportion 30 b formed by engagement between the pair of cutting rollers30.

The cigarette butt extinguishing and disposing apparatus 1 includescutting means 20, guiding means 21, pressing means 22, a container 23,and a casing 24 for housing these elements.

The component members of the cigarette butt extinguishing and disposingapparatus 1 are each formed of metal materials, such as iron, aluminumand stainless steel, or flame-retardant synthetic resin materials andthe like.

The cutting means 20 receives a cigarette butt XA1 from the slot 18 tocut the cigarette butt XA1 into cut pieces XA2 while extinguishing fire.As a result, the cigarette butt XA1 is broken down into pieces oftobacco (tobacco leaves), cigarette paper wrapping the tobacco, a filterfor filtering smoke, and tip paper for wrapping the tobacco and thefilter together. Specifically, the cutting means 20 includes the pair ofcutting rollers 30 and an electric motor (illustration omitted) used asa power source of the pair of cutting rollers 30.

The pair of cutting rollers 30 illustrated in FIG. 3, which is made of amaterial having specified strength or more, can cut not only thecigarette butts XA1 but also foreign substances (for example, matches,muddlers made of plastics, and the like). The pair of cutting rollers 30has a plurality of cutting edges 30 a on their respective peripheralfaces. The pair of cutting rollers 30 is arranged so that theirperipheral faces engage with each other. The pair of cutting rollers 30holds the cigarette butt XA1 between their peripheral faces, which havethe plurality of cutting edges 30 a, so that the cigarette butt XA1 iscut into cut pieces XA2. The pair of cutting rollers 30 may beconfigured so that both the rollers actively rotate, or one rolleractively rotate and the other roller passively rotates by followingafter the rotation of the former roller. The thickness t of theplurality of cutting edges 30 a is preferably 0.5 mm or more and 3.0 mmor less. The thickness t is more preferably 1.8 mm or more and 3.0 mm orless if a high priority is given to the strength of the cutting edges.

The electric motor has a rotating shaft directly or indirectly connectedto the rotating shafts of the cutting rollers 30. The electric motorconverts electric power into rotation power used to rotate the cuttingrollers 30. While the electric motor may be put in a driving state atall times, it may be configured to drive in an intermittent manner. Theelectric motor may also be controlled to drive at desired optimum speedsby manual operation, by detecting the presence of the cigarette buttsXA1, or by other operations.

It is preferable that the cutting means 20 cut the cigarette butt XA1 sothat the cut pieces XA2 generated from the cigarette paper constitutingthe cigarette butt XA1 has a size of 100 mm² or less. It is morepreferable that the cutting means 20 cut the cigarette butt XA1 so thatthe cut pieces XA2 generated from the cigarette paper has a size of 30mm² or less. Or it is preferable that the cutting means 20 cut thecigarette butt XA1 so that the cut pieces XA2 generated from thecigarette paper have a long side of 15 mm or less. It is more preferablethat the cutting means 20 cut the cigarette butt XA1 so that the cutpieces XA2 generated from the cigarette paper have a long side of 10 mmor less. It is still more preferable that the cutting means 20 cut thecigarette butt XA1 so that the cut pieces XA2 generated from thecigarette paper have a longer side of 5 mm or less.

A description will be given with reference to FIG. 2 again. The guidingmeans 21 guides the cut pieces XA2 from the cutting means 20 to thepressing means 22. Specifically, the guiding means 21 is a funnelconfigured to receive the cut pieces XA2 falling from the cutting means20 and to cause the cut pieces XA2 to fall toward the pressing means 22.

The pressing means 22 receives the cut pieces XA2 to press and therebyextinguish the cut pieces XA2. The pressing means 22 has a capacity topress the amount of the cut pieces XA2 equal to or more than the amountof the cut pieces XA2 generated in the cutting means 20. Specifically,the pressing means 22 includes a pair of pressing rollers 31 and anelectric motor (illustration omitted) used as a power source of the pairof pressing rollers 31.

The pair of pressing rollers 31 is made of an elastically deformablematerial (for example, hard rubber). The material preferably has ahardness value of 30 or more and 70 or less, the value being measured bya durometer in accordance with JIS K 6253. The pair of pressing rollers31 is arranged so that elastically deformable peripheral faces arepressed to each other so as to come into face contact with each other.More specifically, one pressing roller 31 is pressed to a counterpartmember that is the other pressing roller 31. As a result, the peripheralface of one pressing roller 31 is in face contact with the counterpartmember. Then, the pair of pressing rollers 31 holds the cut pieces XA2between their peripheral faces to press and extinguish the cut piecesXA2. The pair of pressing rollers 31 may be configured so that both therollers actively rotate, or one roller actively rotates and the otherroller passively rotates by following after the rotation of the formerroller.

At least one roller in the pair of pressing rollers 31 is supportedslidably in a direction distancing from the counterpart member.Specifically, a shaft of at least one roller in the pair of pressingrollers 31 is supported by a long hole (support means) 32. Moreover, anelastic force is applied to the slidably supported pressing roller 31 byan elastic member 33 (see FIG. 5) in a direction approaching thecounterpart member. Furthermore, brushes 34 are provided below the pairof pressing rollers 31, so that bristle ends 34 a (see FIG. 5) of thebrushes 34 are in contact with the peripheral faces of the pressingrollers 31, respectively. The brushes 34 brush away the ashes adheringto the peripheral faces of the pressing rollers 31. The brushes 34 areprovided in parallel with a sliding direction of the pressing rollers31, so that sliding of the pressing rollers 31 is not hindered. Thebrushed-away ashes fall toward the collecting container 23.

The electric motor has a rotating shaft directly or indirectly connectedto the rotating shafts of the pressing rollers 31. The electric motorconverts electric power into rotation power used to rotate the pressingrollers 31. Specifically, the electric motor rotates the pressingrollers 31 at a speed that provides the capacity of pressing the amountof the cut pieces XA2 equal to or more than the amount of the cut piecesXA2 generated in the cutting means 20. While the electric motor may beput in a driving state at all times, it may be configured to drive in anintermittent manner. The electric motor may also be controlled to driveat desired optimum speeds by manual operation, by detecting the presenceof the cigarette butts XA1 and/or the cut pieces XA2, or by otheroperations.

A description will now be given of extinction procedures of thecigarette butt XA1 according to the cigarette butt extinguishing anddisposing apparatus 1 with reference to FIG. 2.

A cigarette butt XA1 fed from the ashtray 13 is conveyed with the screwshaft 15 which is rotated by the electric motor 16. The cigarette buttXA1 is then fed to the cigarette butt extinguishing and disposingapparatus 1 through a slot (reference sign omitted) formed directlybelow the screw shaft 15. The fed cigarette butt XA1 is received intothe cutting means 20.

The cigarette butt XA1 received into the cutting means 20 is heldbetween the pair of cutting rollers 30 so as to be cut into cut piecesXA2 and to fall down. The cut pieces XA2 which fell from the cuttingmeans 20 are received into the pressing means 22 via the guiding means21.

The cut pieces XA2 received into the pressing means 22 are held betweenthe pair of pressing rollers 31 so as to be pressed and then fall down.The cut pieces XA2 which fell from the pressing means 22 are collectedinto the container 23.

The extinction processing is performed as follows. First, the processingis performed in the stage of conveying the cigarette butt with thecigarette butt conveying machine 14, i.e., the processing is performedprior to the stage of feeding the cigarette butt to the cigarette buttextinguishing and disposing apparatus 1. The extinction processing isactively executed in the stage of cutting the cigarette butt with thecutting means 20. The extinction processing is also executed by givingthe cut pieces XA2 time for naturally burning out in the stage where thecut pieces XA2 generated by the cutting means 20 fall from the cuttingmeans 20 toward the pressing means 22. The extinction processing isfurther executed actively in the stage of pressing the cut pieces XA2with the pressing means 22.

Thus, according to the cigarette butt extinguishing and disposingapparatus 1, fire is separated from the cigarette butt XA1 when thecigarette butt XA1 is cut, so that reliable extinction can be achieved.If fire should not be separated from the cut pieces XA2, only theburning cut pieces XA2 are burned since the cigarette butt XA1 is cutinto cut pieces XA2, and therefore the spread of the fire can beprevented. As a result, reliable extinction can be achieved. Within thelimits of the capacity of the cutting means 20, a large amount ofcigarette butts XA1 can be extinguished at a stroke.

Furthermore, since the cutting means 20 is the pair of cutting rollers30 having peripheral faces engaging with each other and the peripheralfaces each have a plurality of cutting edges 30 a, the cigarette buttXA1 can reliably be cut with a simple structure.

Since the slot 18 has the inclined surface 18 a causing the cigarettebutt XA1 to roll down toward the pair of cutting rollers 30, thecigarette butt XA1 can be fed to the cutting rollers 30 while being laidsideways as illustrated in FIG. 4(A). This makes it possible to cut thecigarette butt XA1 while the cigarette butt XA1 is parallel to thecutting rollers 30 as illustrated in FIG. 4(B). As a result, fire canreliably be separated, and the cigarette butt XA1 can reliably beextinguished.

Since the inclined surface 18 a is provided so as to cover theengagement portion 30 b formed by engagement between the pair of cuttingrollers 30, it becomes possible to prevent the cigarette butt XA1 frombeing directly fed to the engagement portion 30 b. This increases thepossibility that the cigarette butt XA1 is fed to the cutting rollers 30while being laid sideways. Since the pressing means 22 for pressing andthereby extinguishing the cut pieces XA2 is provided, and fire isshielded from air when the cut pieces XA2 are pressed, reliableextinction can be achieved. More specifically, even if the fire shouldnot be separated from the cut pieces XA2 by the cutting means 20,reliable extinction can still be achieved.

Moreover, the pressing means 22 is the pair of pressing rollers 31having elastically deformable peripheral faces, the peripheral facesbeing pressed to each other so as to be in face contact with each other.Accordingly, the cut pieces XA2 can reliably be pressed and extinguishedwith a simple structure. Furthermore, each of the cut pieces XA2 s isdragged into the pair of pressing rollers 31 and is gradually pressedfrom one end side toward the other end side. Accordingly, even when thecut pieces XA2 are large, they can uniformly and reliably be pressed.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, a portion of the peripheral faces of thepressing rollers 31 in face contact with each other has a length L in acircumferential direction that is a conveyance direction of the cutpieces XA2, and the length L is larger than a size P of the cut piecesXA2. This makes it possible to shield the cut pieces XA2 from air and tothereby achieve reliable extinction.

Moreover, the pressing means 22 has a capacity of pressing the amount ofthe cut pieces XA2 equal to or more than the amount of the cut piecesXA2 generated in the cutting means 20, which makes it possible toprevent accumulation of unpressed cut pieces XA2. Accordingly, even iffire should remain, it becomes possible to prevent the fire fromspreading to the unpressed cut pieces XA2.

The apparatus 1 further includes the guiding means 21 for guiding thecut pieces XA2 from the cutting means 20 to the pressing means 22.Accordingly, the cut pieces XA2 generated by the cutting means 20 canreliably be guided to the pressing means 22 even when the cut pieces XA2are dispersed.

Since the guiding means 21 is a funnel configured to receive the cutpieces XA2 falling from the cutting means 20 and to cause the cut piecesXA2 to fall toward the pressing means 22, the cut pieces XA2 canreliably be guided to the pressing means 22 with a simple structure.

Moreover, the cigarette butt XA1 is cut so that the cut pieces XA2generated from the cigarette paper constituting the cigarette butt XA1have a size of 100 mm² or less, or the cigarette butt XA1 is cut so thatthe cut pieces XA2 generated from the cigarette paper have a long sideof 15 mm or less. Accordingly, when the fire should not be separatedfrom the cut pieces XA2, the cut pieces XA2 are burned out in a shorttime, which makes it possible to prevent the fire from spreading toother cut pieces XA2.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above,and various modifications are possible without departing from the spiritand technical concept of the invention.

More specifically, in the above embodiment, each component is properlychanged in terms of the position, the size, the shape, the material, thenumber, and the like. For example, the number of the cutting rollers 30and the number of the pressing rollers 31 can be changed.

Specifically, in the above description of the embodiment, a pair ofcutting rollers 30 is provided. However, the present invention mayinclude two or more pairs of cutting rollers 30. In that case, a pair ofcutting rollers 30 may be arranged below another pair of cutting rollers30 to repeat cutting operation.

Also in the above description of the embodiment, a pair of pressingrollers 31 is provided. However, the present invention may include twoor more pairs of pressing rollers 31. In that case, a pair of pressingrollers 31 may be arranged below another pair of pressing rollers 31 torepeat pressing operation.

Alternatively, two or more pairs of cutting rollers 30 and two or morepairs of pressing rollers 31 may be provided, and a combination of apair of pressing rollers 31 and a pair of cutting rollers 30 which arearranged therebelow may be repeated.

Alternatively, in the above embodiment, the pressing rollers 31 may beso configured that only the peripheral faces are made of a hardmaterial. More specifically, the pressing rollers 31 may each beconstituted by a roller body and a tube body fitted around the rollerbody. In that case, materials of the pressing rollers 31 are selected sothat the roller body has a relatively low hardness and the tube body hasa relatively high hardness.

In the description of the above embodiment, the cigarette buttextinguishing and disposing apparatus 1 is built into the table 10.However, the present invention is not limited thereto. The cigarettebutt extinguishing and disposing apparatus 1 may be incorporated into anisland of a game parlor, or is used as an independent stand ashtray.When the apparatus 1 is incorporated in the island of the game parlor,the cigarette butts XA1 fed from the ashtray arranged besides each gamemachine are collected to one place while being extinguished without theuse of water.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   -   1 cigarette butt extinguishing and disposing apparatus    -   18 slot    -   18 a inclined surface    -   20 cutting means    -   21 guiding means (funnel)    -   22 pressing means    -   23 container    -   30 cutting roller    -   30 a edge    -   31 pressing roller    -   32 long hole (support means)    -   33 elastic member    -   34 brush    -   34 a bristle end    -   XA1 cigarette butt    -   XA2 cut piece

1. A cigarette butt extinguishing and disposing apparatus, comprising:cutting means for receiving a cigarette butt from a slot, and cuttingthe cigarette butt into cut pieces and extinguishing fire; and acontainer for collecting the cut pieces.
 2. The cigarette buttextinguishing and disposing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein thecutting means is a pair of cutting rollers having peripheral facesengaging with each other, the peripheral faces each having a pluralityof cutting edges.
 3. The cigarette butt extinguishing and disposingapparatus according to claim 2, wherein the slot has an inclined surfacefor causing the cigarette butt to roll down toward the pair of cuttingrollers.
 4. The cigarette butt extinguishing and disposing apparatusaccording to claim 3, wherein the inclined surface is provided so as tocover an engagement portion formed by engagement between the pair ofcutting rollers.
 5. The cigarette butt extinguishing and disposingapparatus according to claim 1, comprising pressing means for receivingand pressing the cut pieces.
 6. The cigarette butt extinguishing anddisposing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the pressing meanspresses the cut pieces to shield the cut pieces from air.
 7. Thecigarette butt extinguishing and disposing apparatus according to claim5, wherein the pressing means is a pressing roller having an elasticallydeformable peripheral face, the peripheral face being pressed to acounterpart member so as to be in face contact with the counterpartmember.
 8. The cigarette butt extinguishing and disposing apparatusaccording to claim 7, wherein a portion of the peripheral face of thepressing roller in face contact with the counterpart member has a lengthin a circumferential direction that is a conveyance direction of the cutpieces, the length being larger than a length of the cut pieces.
 9. Thecigarette butt extinguishing and disposing apparatus according to claim7, comprising a brush having bristle ends in contact with the peripheralface of the pressing roller to brush away ashes adhering to theperipheral face of the pressing roller.
 10. The cigarette buttextinguishing and disposing apparatus according to claim 7, comprising:support means for supporting the pressing roller slidably in a directiondistancing from the counterpart member; and an elastic member configuredto apply an elastic force to the pressing roller slidably supported bythe support means in a direction approaching the counterpart member. 11.The cigarette butt extinguishing and disposing apparatus according toclaim 5, comprising guiding means for guiding the cut pieces from thecutting means to the pressing means.
 12. The cigarette buttextinguishing and disposing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein theguiding means is a funnel configured to receive the cut pieces fallingfrom the cutting means and to cause the cut pieces to fall toward thepressing means.
 13. The cigarette butt extinguishing and disposingapparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cutting means cuts thecigarette butt so that the cut pieces generated from cigarette paperconstituting the cigarette butt have a size of 100 mm² or less.
 14. Thecigarette butt extinguishing and disposing apparatus according to claim1, wherein the cutting means cuts the cigarette butt so that the cutpieces generated from the cigarette paper constituting the cigarettebutt have a long side of 15 mm or less.